Water-wise plans in place to ensure UCI World Cup Stellenbosch will go ahead

The UCI World Cup in Stellenbosch has put plans in place to ensure that the event will go ahead on 10 March with zero impact on the water supply of the drought-stricken town.

Events such as the World Cup attract tourism, which is vital to the economy of the region, and while there have been restrictions of 50-litres of water per person per day, this is adequate for the essential needs of drinking, washing and toiletries. While tap water is drinkable, officials are encouraging the purchase of bottle water, which is sourced from outside water-scarce areas.

We are working closely with our sponsors, partners and service providers to ensure every responsible measure is in place to conserve water without compromising the rider experience and safety at the race. Riders will need to be conscious of their water usage and each participant should use a maximum of 50 litres of water per day in accordance with the level 6B water restrictions.

We are pleased to announce that no water will be drawn from the Stellenbosch municipal supply, while a limited amount of unpotable water drawn from a dam on the University of Stellenbosch grounds will be used to maintain the course.

Certain sections of the World Cup course at Coetzenburg will be closed to the public until after the event to save water needed for maintenance and to repair damage caused by dryness. This will see a change in the popular Scott Sports bicycle competition. Fans entered by taking pictures of themselves on these technical sections. A new format will be announced shortly via Scott Sports and Epic World Cup social media pages. The organisers apologise for any inconvenience caused.

The restrictions on water usage for the World Cup include:

Team bikes to be washed with non-potable water provided in five-litre buckets (two bikes to be washed per bucket).

No showers at the venue.

Drinking water for the official teams to be sourced from outside the Western Cape.

Teams, vendors, contractors, suppliers and activation crews will make provision for their own potable water.

All food will be prepared off site, using no potable water for preparation or cleaning.

Bottled water will be supplied to event crew and the medical centre.

The Epic World Cup in Stellenbosch and the Western Cape are open for business despite the drought. We are looking forward to putting on a world-class event and advertisement for the region.